Marvel Still Has Plans for the Vampire Hunter ‘Blade’

About this time last year, rumors were flying that Marvel was trying to get some version of Bladeoff the ground. There were reports that Marvel had met with actor Wesley Snipes to discuss the possibility of a Blade 4; there were also reports that Marvel wanted to move forward with a Blade movie focusing on the vampire hunter’s daughter. Whatever the final product might be, Marvel clearly had some vague notion that Blade would be a factor in the future of its franchises.

And thanks to Kate Beckinsale, we know that is still the case. During a panel discussion on Underworld: Blood Wars(via /Film), the actress was asked if there had ever been plans to cross over the Blade and Underworld franchises and have both main characters fight vampires together. Surprisingly, Beckinsale admitted that they’d already tried — and failed — to make that happen.

No. We had that idea. No. They’re busy. They’re doing something with Blade.

I’m not quite sure what’s the bigger story here: that Marvel continues to work on some television or film adaptation of Blade or that the Underworld producers tried to bring their franchise into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Clearly, Blade would be an excellent fit for the modern (albeit moody) world that exists in the Underworld movies, but it’s hard to see the upside for Marvel. They already have three movies to draw on should they decided to bring Wesley Snipes back for another Blade movie; meanwhile, even the biggest fan of the Underworld franchise would probably admit that those movies aren’t quite on par with Marvel’s standards.

What could the future look like for Blade at Marvel? With Ghost Rider appearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.and the Punisher getting his own Netflix series, either television property seems to be trending in the right direction for the more mature subject matter presented in the Blade movies. Then again, the R-rated movies were always a good fit for what Wesley Snipes and company tried to do. Put me down for a couple more of those rather than the awkward blend of ABC and sword decapitations.